"Do you want to destroy Order, destroy the world, is that what you want?"
The epic palemaster is a truly horrid and vile mockery to life, masters of undeath that relish in sickening displays of their fetish.
The epic palemaster has to choose whether they will focus on increasing their spellcasting capabilities, combat prowess, or both. Greater Graft is a must if you wish to further the power of your touch attacks. Epic Spellcasting and Improved Spell Capacity are good choices once you meet the prerequisites. Ignore Material Components, Improved Combat Casting, and Spell Opportunity are excellent choices should you wish to cast spells while in melee and free up your hands for touch attacks. Feats such as Mind of the Dead, Mummification, and Soul of Undeath further your delving into the realms of the dead.
Other Options: Epic Prowess can really help you hit with your touch attacks, and feats such as Enhanced and Epic Bonemail, Energy Resistance, Epic Toughness, and Fast Healing will keep you standing long after other arcane casters have met their doom.
Class Level | Special | Spells per Day | |
11 | -- | +1 level of existing class | |
12 | Bonemail +8 | -- | |
13 | -- | +1 level of existing class | |
14 | Bonus Feat | -- | |
15 | -- | +1 level of existing class | |
16 | Bonemail +10 | -- | |
17 | -- | +1 level of existing class | |
18 | Bonus Feat | -- | |
19 | -- | +1 level of existing class | |
20 | Bonemail +12 | -- |
Hit Die: d6
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Spellcasting: At every second level after 9th, the palemaster gains an effective level of spellcasting to a spellcasting class he belonged to before, just as he did in non-epic levels.
Bonemail: The Epic Palemaster continues to improve his art of crafting bone into armor. At 12th level, and every four levels thereafter, the natural armor bonus gained from bonemail increases by +2.
Animate Dead (Sp): The Palemaster continues to count all levels of this prestige class as caster levels to determine the number of undead he can animate, summon, and otherwise control, just as he did before epic levels.
Summon Greater Undead (Su): The epic palemaster can continue to summon more powerful undead, using the extended list below.
Caster Level | Undead Summoned* | |
20 | Devourer | |
24 | Nightwalker | |
28 | Winterwight | |
30 | Hunefer |
* The DM may add more undead to this list should he wish, but the minimum caster level should be no lower than the summoned undead's CR + 5.
Undead Graft: Every even-numbered level after tenth (12th, 14th, 16th, etc), the Palemaster can make one additional touch attack with his undead graft per day. So at 12th level, the Palemaster can use his touch attacks 5 times per day, at 14th level he can use his touch attacks 6 times per day, and so on.
Bonus Feats: The Epic Palemaster gets a bonus feat at 14th level and an additional bonus feat every four levels thereafter (18th, 22nd, and so on). These bonus feats must be selected from the following list: Augmented Alchemy, Automatic Quicken Spell, Automatic Silent Spell, Automatic Still Spell, Count of the Undead, Craft Epic Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Epic Rod, Craft Epic Staff, Craft Epic Wondrous Item, Damage Reduction, Efficient Item Creation, Energy Resistance, Enhanced Bonemail, Enhance Spell, Epic Bonemail, Epic Prowess, Epic Spell Focus, Epic Spell Penetration, Epic Spellcasting, Epic Toughness, Fast Healing, Forge Epic Ring, Greater Graft, Ignore Material Components, Improved Combat Casting, Improved Heighten Spell, Improved Metamagic, Improved Spell Capacity, Intensify Spell, Master Staff, Master Wand, Mind of the Dead, Multispell, Mummification, Permanent Emanation, Scribe Epic Scroll, Spell Knowledge, Spell Mastery, Spell Stowaway, Spell Opportunity, Soul of Undeath, and Tenacious Magic, (BoVD: Automatic Vile Spell, Epic Evil Brand, Epic Vile Strike).
Count of the Undead [Epic]
Legions of undead are at your command.
Prerequisites: Cha 25, Deathless Mastery class feature, Epic Leadership, Leadership
Benefit: You can control ten hit dice of undead per caster level.
Normal: Without this feat, you can only control two hit dice of undead per caster level.
Enhanced Bonemail [Epic]
You uncover ancient secrets to increase the power of your bonemail.
Prerequisites: Bonemail class feature, Craft Arms and Armor
Benefit: The natural armor bonus of your Bonemail improves by +2. Further, you can imbue your bonemail with armor and shield special abilities, totaling no more then +5. You must meet all other prerequisites, and spend the required time, money and experience. You cannot give your bonemail an enhancement bonus.
Epic Bonemail [Epic]
Your exhaustive study of bonemail has led you to the pinnacle of its power.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast 9th level spells, Bonemail class feature, Craft Arms and Armor, Craft Epic Arms and Armor
Benefit: Your bonemail gains an additional improvement of +2. Also, there is no limit to the number of armor special abilities you can add to the bonemail, and can enchant the armor with epic special abilities. You still must meet all other prerequisites.
Special: Epic item cost (x10) is calculated if the abilities exceed a total of +5, rather then +10.
Greater Graft [Epic]
You update your undead graft to the arm of a powerful lich or vampire.
Prerequisites: Cha 15, Deathless Mastery class feature
Benefit: The DC for all your undead graft touch attacks rises to 10 + 1/2 your class level + your Charisma modifier. In addition, you gain a new supernatural touch attack that deals 1d8 + your Charisma modifier in negative energy damage (saving throw for half damage). You heal the same amount of damage, which cannot exceed their current hit point total, and additional damage healed beyond your maximum are considered temporary hit points which last 10 minutes.
Mind of the Dead [Epic]
After spending so much time around undead, you have begun to think like them.
Prerequisites: Cha 15, Tough as Bone class feature, (BoVD: Lichloved)
Benefit: You are immune to mind-influencing effects and mind-affecting attacks.
Mummification [Epic]
You do the nearly unthinkable, and mummify yourself while still alive.
Prerequisite: Deathless Mastery class feature, (BoVD: Deformity, gaunt or obese)
Benefit: Although still technically alive, your flesh is nearly identical to that of the undead. In addition to immunity to stunning, subdual damage, and critical hits, you gain further immunity to poison, disease, and death from massive damage.
Soul of Undeath [Epic]
You are fueled by otherworldly powers through a ritual known as the Deathless Sleep.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast 9th level spells, Cha 25, Deathless Mastery class feature, Mind of the Dead, Mummification
Benefit: Instead of sleep and rest, you instead focus your energies toward the negative energy plane in a meditative ritual known as the Deathless Sleep. So long as you do this for eight hours each week, you no longer need to eat, sleep, or breathe. Your body ceases to age (see below), and you are immune to sleep, paralysis, ability damage, and energy drain.
After you start the Deathless Sleep, you no longer suffer ability penalties from aging and cannot be magically aged. Any penalties you may have already suffered, however, remain in place. Bonuses still accrue, and you still die when your time is up. However, every week under the effects of the Deathless Sleep does not count towards your regular lifespan.
The Deathless Sleep does not come without consequence, however. You are now affected by negative and positive energy the same way as undead are (positive energy hurts you, while negative energy heals you).
Special: If for some reason you do not spend eight consecutive hours in the Deathless Sleep at least once per week, you loose at special abilities granted by this feat until you do. Among other things, this means you begin to age again (you are still affected by negative and positive energy the same way as undead). (BoVD: Vile damage heals naturally while in the Deathless Sleep, and only while in the Deathless Sleep.)
Tossing Bones: Necromancers, Palemasters, and Divinations
Tossing bones, sometimes called casting lots, is an ancient way to predict the future. It involves shaking a leather pouch filled with bones, usually carved with runes that have been inked in blood, then tossing them onto the ground. Depending on how the bones fall, the diviner can predict future events.
By spending at least 25gp worth of materials and making a Knowledge (arcana) skill check (DC 15), a spellcaster can craft mantic lots. They can be used as an arcane spell focus, and a divine spell focus for any deity with death or undead in their portfolio. Powerful diviners and necromancers often further enchant their mantic lots with spells, usually those that bring good fortune or further aid in divinations.
Although most Palemasters are necromancers, and necromancers specialize in magics that deal with life and death, many also delve into the realm of divinations. Perhaps this fascination comes from an indirect relation with necromancy; all necromancers would be interested in knowing when or how they will die. Perhaps this information will even let them avoid it, thus giving them that much more power over life and death. Necromancers are also comfortable speaking with spirits and the dead. Arcana speaks of ghosts who can see the past and future the same way as the living see the present, and knowing what is known only to the dead often proves far too tempting for necromancers to refuse.
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